Edwin S. Wiitala

Born December 23, 1918, in Marquette, Mich., to Axel Herman Wiitala and Mary Michelson Wiitala, Ed graduated from Michigan Technological University in 1942 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He accepted a position with Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, N.Y., and his first assignment during WWII was working on the Manhattan (Atomic) Project in Oakridge, Tenn. At the completion of the war, he moved to Rochester to specialize in color slide films and technical marketing. He retired from Kodak after 42 years of service.

In 1947 he met Dorothy Weeth, and they were married several months later. Together they raised a son, Russell, born in 1954.

Ed touched many people’s lives with his many activities. Always a lover of music, he took up trombone during his youth and played with various bands throughout his life, including the Irondequoit (N.Y.) Community Band and the Naples Concert Band. He enjoyed singing in church choirs, and you never failed to hear his strong voice. Ed enjoyed golf, and got a hole-in-one in 1988. He was a member of the DeMolay, then the Masons and the Shriners. Ed and Dorothy were travelers and with the Kodak background, always had cameras with them, often several.

Ed’s wife Dorothy preceded him in death in 2010, after 63 years of marriage. Also, predeceasing him are his sister, Viola Wiitala Grigg (Paul), and his brothers Eero Wiitala (Sue), and Wilbert Wiitala (Ruth). Ed leaves behind his son, Russell, and his fiancee, Linda, many nieces and nephews, including Ron Wiitala of Port Charlotte, Fla., who was especially close to both Ed and Dorothy.

A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Naples, 250 Sixth Street S., Naples, FL 34102.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Avow Hospice, a community band of your choice or other charity of your choice.